Balloon Concerto Series – Federico Picci

In this digital work of art, Florence, Italy-based graphic designer, illustrator and animator Federico Picci has managed to create an illusion of music in a physical form.

There is a crystal-clear sense of feather-light movement as the spheres appear to billow up from the solitary, fixed gramophone . The black/gold balloons and warm light in the high-ceilinged white room create a peaceful, calm mood inviting we, the viewers, into this meditation on music. Just as the balloons emerge, rise, fall, and appear to be filling the open space so to do musical notes, constantly moving through time and space, never static and harmonising with each other to create a beautiful unified whole as represented in this allegory of music. This is why ‘Balloon Concerto Gramophone’ by Picci, a pianist, just to add to his already impressive resume, is so intriguing. It seems to be tantalising close to capturing an art form which by its very nature can’t be depicted in a visual.

Where the original ‘Balloon Concerto’ uses warm and gentle colours to depict a serene meditation on music, ‘Balloon Concerto – The Drums’ utilises a stark monochromatic palette instead. Soft pinks yield to polished metal, mild yellow sunlight streaming in through tall unobstructed windows is replaced with cooler, diffuse white light illuminating a room filled with highly reflective surfaces of black, white and chrome and all the shades in-between.

In this work, we can see the metallic orbs being created within the drum set, like tightly packed ball bearings, we can almost hear the sound of them, clanging against each other as they spiral up towards the ceiling or as they race along the tiled floor. Each sphere reflecting a different aspect of the room from its own unique positioning, like musical notes hanging in the air occupying their own unique moment in time.

Set in a room with classical detailing, the image echoes its Piano predecessor below. Like its forerunner, a harmony is achieved in this composition, the elements in the room are balanced and deliberately placed to achieve this almost imperceptible order like the rhythmic pattern we instinctively hear in music.

There is a crystal-clear sense of feather-light movement as the spheres appear to billow up from the solitary, fixed grand piano. The gently coloured orbs and warm light in the high-ceilinged white room create a peaceful calm mood inviting we, the viewers, into this meditation on music. Just as the balloons emerge, rise, fall, and appear to be filling the open space, so to do musical notes, constantly moving through time and space, never static yet harmonising with each other to create a beautifully unified whole as represented in this allegory of music.